Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on July 27, 2017, Chris Donna-Louise Carle and Brian Darby were rescued by firefighters, emerging through the roof of Coach's Bar and Grill. They became trapped when water quickly rose and broke through a wall of their bus Shane KeyserThe Kansas City Star

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on July 27, 2017, Chris Donna-Louise Carle and Brian Darby were rescued by firefighters, emerging through the roof of Coach's Bar and Grill. They became trapped when water quickly rose and broke through a wall of their bus Shane KeyserThe Kansas City Star

Coach’s Bar & Grill hopes to reopen at site of former episcopal church

Seven months after floodwaters demolished Coach’s Bar & Grill in south Kansas City, a plan is in the works to reopen it about a mile to the north.

Mike Crist, owner of the former All Saints Episcopal Church at 9201 Wornall Road, wants to rezone the 4.7-acre property from residential to business. Coach’s would take about 10,000 square feet of the 19,056-square-foot building.

“It’s a cool building with beautiful bones and we are eager to polish it and make it a destination for great food,” Crist said.

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The site backs up to a residential area and some neighbors have expressed concerns on social media about a “late night bar” going right by their house.

If the deal is completed, Coach’s co-owner Brian Darby said the new Coach’s would not be a late night destination like the previous location at 414 W. 103rd St., just off of Interstate 435 and Wornall Road, but an operation with more of a family atmosphere.

“We are still working with the city to get this done,” he said. “I need to work with the neighborhood and I have no problem doing that. I need to adapt to the new location and still honor my father’s legacy.”

The Center Planning and Development Council, an umbrella group of homes and neighborhood associations in the southwest Kansas City area, will discuss the project at a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Trailside Center at 9901 Holmes Road. The plan will go before the City Plan Commission on March 6.

In a statement, Councilman Scott Taylor, said: “Coach’s is a South KC institution and we have been encouraging the Darby family to bring Coach’s back. I am confident they will work to address neighborhood concerns and bring another affordable restaurant grill and bar to South KC.”

As workers gutted the inside of the flood damaged Coach's Bar and Grill on Wednesday, Brian Darby spoke about his employees, the south Kansas City community and keeping his father's legacy alive. Keith MyersThe Kansas City Star